TRAVEL AND LIFESTYLE DIARIES

What do you think about having a little bit of zen while travelling? I mean, who doesn't wants to slow down and smell the roses at some point? Like at the busy airports for example. I felt obliged to say that we were not the only ones doing selfies here (defensive mode). OK, at least I do not use those awful selfie sticks (more defensive mode).  Because travelling can be a real chaotic journey starting at the airport. Gone are those old days when going through airports was a breeze. Customs and security have become a total nightmare. Queuing up at immigration counters is not fun at all. And finding your way through an unfamiliar and huge airport to your gate can be daunting. You know, not everyone travels first class and business class, and some airports just have horrible directional signage. I have to admit that I am one of those people who avoid spending more time that I am supposed to at airports. I always go with my rule of -- I go in and out, as quickly as possibl...

Do you know Rubens? He is the celebrated Belgian painter during the Baroque Period in the 17th century. If the Netherlands has van Gogh and Rembrandt, Belgium has Peter Paul Rubens. So in celebration of this great Flemish painter whose roots is in Antwerp, the city has a special yearly market day every summer dedicated on his honour—the Rubens Market (Rubensmarkt in Dutch). Antwerp or Antwerpen is part of Flemish Belgium, the Dutch speaking part of the country, although I must say that they speak a different kind of Dutch here =). Rubens was also a humanist scholar and diplomat, and was knighted by Philip IV, king of Spain and Charles I, king of England. Learn more here:  Peter Paul Rubens We were not very lucky with the weather when Dutchman and I were here last summer. It rained the whole day and we forgot to bring the umbrella sitting in the back of the car. Before arriving in the city we also got stuck in heavy traffic due to road works. We were already wondering ...

Last year in April I went to the Ahrweiler district in the Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany. The nearest big city is Bonn. In this district you will find the River Ahr, which is a tributary of the Rhine River and the Eifel mountains. Also in this district you will find the ‘Red Wine Trail’ of Germany. I did a little bit of hiking on the Red Wine Trail when I got interrupted with a searing headache. So that jaunt didn’t really ended up well and I had to cut it short after reaching Dernau and having a little wine break at an old monastery ruin called Weingut Kloster Marienthal . Luckily I had a paracetamol waiting back at my hotel. Here is the short hike I did with breaktaking vineyard views in the Ahr valley: Red Wine Trail: Ahrweiler to Marienthal Red Wine Trail: Marienthal, Dernau and back to Ahrweiler The capital of Ahrweiler is the twin towns Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler and the most beautiful between the two is the medieval fortified town of Ahrweiler. I had lunch her...